Driving mechanism for rotary power hoes or cultivators.



K. H. w. L. sEcK. DRIVING ME'CHANISM FOR ROTARY POWER HOES 0R CULTIVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. il. 1912.

Patented Sept 7, 1915.

55. avoidthe foregoing disadvantages and for KARL HEINRICH WILHELM LUDWIG SECK, QF MANNHEIM, GERMANY, ASSIGNGR TO THE FIRM -OF HEINRICH LANZ, OF MANNHEIM, GERMANY.

DRIVING MECHANISM `ron ROTARY POWER Hons on' CULTIvA'roRs.

Mamas.

To all wiz-0m itlmay concern s Be it known that I, KARL HEINRICH VIL- HELM LUDWIG SEGK, subject of the German Emperor, residing at 22 Augusta Anlage, Mannheim, in the German Empire, have invented certain new and Improved Driving Mechanism for Rotary Power Hoes or Cultivators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary powerv hoes or cultivators or like agricultural implements of the type in which the power is transmitted from the prime mover to the cultivator or hoeAsha-ft through a countershaft parallel to the cultivator shaft and geared up to the latter at its ends by chain gearing or the like, the cultivator shaft being a through shaft, that is to say, continuous from side to side of the machine? In cultivators of this type the cultivator shaft is liable to sag or tilt when passing over 11neven ground and consequently the cultivator shaft and cou'ntershaft become non-parallel, causing the chain at one side'of the machine to sag o1" become slack while the other chain has to transmit the whole of the power. In consequence thereof the chains become unevenly stretched and excessive wear and tear occurs.4

In some cases porting lor' traction wheels of the machine from the same countershaft, in which case of course a differential gearing is interposed between the countershaft and the primel mover for ,the purpose of enabling the ma.- chine to negotiate curves. Machines of this type however are subject to the same draw-v backs owing to the fact that, when negotiating curves,'the outer driving chain of the cultivator sha-ft will be driven-at a greater speed than the inner driving chainl of the cultivator shaft owing tothe differentperipheral speeds of the inner and outer tractionwheels. Consequently a free wheel clutch has to be provided at each end ofthe cultivator shaft ,so that when .negotiating curves the. cultivator shaft will be driven by' the outer chain while 'theinn'er chainQtrans-g The outer chain vis 4thus mits no motion. y subjected to excessive strain. The same occurs when one end of the cultivator is raised in passing 'over `an obstacle owing to the slackening of theIY chain at the raisedend.

The object of the present invention is to specication of Letters Patent.

it is usual to drive the supl Patented Sept.. t, 1915.

Application led December 11, 1912.4 Serial N o. l736,145. I

these purposes the countereshaft is separate from the driving mechanism for the traction wheels of the machine so that the cultivatorshaft -will be driven vindependently of the varying speeds of the traction wheels when negotiating curves. Moreover this separate counter-shaft is divided into two parts and a differential gear is arranged intermediate the two parts of said counter-shaft and driven from the prime mover so that unequal tension on the driving chains of the cultivator shaft will be equalized through the medium of the differential gear, thereby avoiding excessive wear and tear of the chain gearing.

In order that the cultivator shaft may he temporarily'thrown out of gear a Isuitable clutch is preferably provided for engaging and disengaging the differential gear with.

'the counter-shaft. This clutch may also be adapted, if desired,to automatically disengage the differential gear from the countershaft should the hoe or cultivator meet with an excessive resistance, such las large ob? stacles. Thelclutch may he adjusted to any predetermined resistance and may be adapted to automatically put the mechanism into gear after the cultivator haspassed overathe ob stac'le.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which show hy way of example different forms of driving inech anismaccording to the present invention.

a2. Pivoted on the framed is a pair of arms 'c carrying the through rotary-shaftv t' of the4 hoe' or cultivator. The shaft b which is continuous from side to side of the ma chine is driven from the motor 0l through the dierential .gear now to he described. 0n the end of the motorshaft e' (see Fig. 3), is'fixedl a pinion wheel, f gearing witha crown wheel h upon a rotatable casing g.

.Coaxially mounted ion." .the motor frame ci are-two counter-shafts1i and/7c which carryy toothed wheels Z and m respectively, rotating in the casing g and gearinggwlth planet A i6- rom the counter-shafts z' and through chain and chain wheel gearing tand s respectively.

The mode of operation of the foregoing mechanism is as follows: W hen the halves 15 gand g2 of the claw clutch are thrown into engagement, the counter-shafts i and c are driven from the motor-shaft e throughV l'the differential gear in the usual .manner.

If now the rotary-shaft Z) should become inclined, thus occasioning unequal tension onthe chains s and t, this will be equalized in'the usual manner through the medium of the differential gear, so thatlunequal tension and wear and tear of the chains willbe obviated. If'it is desired to temporarily put the rotary-shaft b out of action, the

. vclaw clutch g q2 is disengaged whereupon the wheel m will rotate loosely on the shaft /c and will thus no longer exert a counter- '30 acting force upon the opposite wheel Z, with the result that the shaft z' will also come to rest and the gear wheels will rotate without transmitting motion. It is thus possible in a simple manner to temporarily put the rotary-shaft b out of action without stopping the' motor.

As illustrated in Fig. 4 an adjustable .automatically disengaging friction clutch may be substituted for the claw clutch g g2,

40 the wheel m carrying a friction cone u1, ,and the other friction cone u2 being splined upon the counter-shaft and maintained in contact with the friction cone u1 by means of a spring fu, the pressure of which may be regulated by an adjusting nut w screwed o n the shaft 7c. In this case when the resistance offered to the cultivator is normal, the friction cones will be held in engagement, thus enabling the motor-shaft e to transmit m'otion to the counter-shafts i and le. If the cultivator should meet an obstacle of such size that the resistance overcomes the power of the spring o, the friction cones u1 and u2 Jwill slip one' over the other with the result that the wheel m will not exert a counter-acting force upon the ,opposite wheel Z and the mechanism will thus be pu.J out of action in the manner already described, until the cultivator has passed the obstacle, whereupon the spring will automatically put the mechanism, again into en gagement.

,l clalmt- 1. A rotary cultivator comprising, in conibination, a vehicle frame, wheels supporting frame, a separate counter-shaft divided into two parts, a differential gear intermediate the two parts of said counter-shaft and driven from said 'prime mover independently of the supporting wheels, a through cultivator shaft each end of which rests in a bearing of an arm pivotally supported from said frame and means for driving said through shaft from said counter-shaft.

2. A rotary cultivator comprising, in combination, a vehicle frame, wheels supporting said frame, a prime mover mounted on the frame, a separate counter-shaft divided into t'wo parts, a differential gear intermediate the two-parts of said counter-shaft and driven from said prime mover independently of the supporting wheels, a clutch intermediate said differential gear and counter-shaft for connecting and disconnecting said gear and counter-shaft, a through cultivator shaft pivotally supported from said frame and means for driving said through shaft from said countershaft.

3. The combination with a rotary cultivator of a prime mover, a counter-shaft divided into two parts, a differential gear intei-mediate the two .parts of the countershaft and driven from said prime mover independently of the supporting wheels of the cultivator-frame, a clutch intermediate said differential gear and counter-shaft, said clutch being adapted to automatically disengage said gear and counter-shaft when said 4cultivator meets with excessive resistance, a. through shaft carrying the cultivators and means for driving said through shaft from said counter-Shaft.

4. The combination with a rotary cultivator, of a prime mover, a counter-shaft divided into two parts, a differential gear intei-mediate the two parts of the countershaft and driven from said prime mover independently of the supporting wheels of the cultivator frame, a spring-controlled friction clutch intermediate said differential gear and counter shaft adapted to automatically disengage said gear and counter shaft when said cultivator meets excessive resistance, and to rengage said gear and counter-shaft on the diminution of said resistance, a through shaft carrying the cultivvators, and means for driving said through shaft from said counter-shaft 5. The combmation w1th a rotary cultivator, of a prime mover, two coaxial countershafts, a toothed wheelfixed on one end of one of said counter-shafts, a loose toothed 'wheel on the adjacent'end of the other counter-shaft, planet wheels gearing with said fixed and loose wheels, a rotatable casing carrying said planet wheels, an annular toothed wheel carried by said casing, and

duiven from said prime mover independently of the supporting,r wheels of the cultivator frame, a clutch intermediate sa-id loose toothed wheel and its counter shaft for enabling said loose toothed Wheel to be put into or out of engagement With its countershaft, a through shaft carrying the cultivators, and means for driving said through shaft from said counter-shaft. n

6. The combination with a rotary cultivator, of a prime mover, two coaxial countershafts, a toothed wheel iXed on one end of said counter-shafts, a loose toothed wheel on the adj ace t end of the other counter-shaft, planet wh els gearing vwith said fixed and loose w gels, a rotatable casing` carrying said planet wheels, an annular toothed Wheel carried by said casing, and driven from said prime mover independently of the supporting' wheels of the eultivator frame, a springcontrolled friction clutch intermediate said loose toothed Wheel and its counter shaft for enabling said loose toothed wheel to be put into or out of engagement with its counter-shaft, a through shaft carrying the eultivators, and means for driving said through shaft from said counter-shaft.

7. The combination with a rotary cultivator, of a power-driven shaft, two coaxial counter-shafts at right angles to said power driven shaft, a toothed wheel fixed on one end of'one of said counter-shafts, a loose toothed wheel on the adjacent end of the nular toothed wheel carried by said casing, A

a pinion on the end of said power-driven shaftgearing with said annular Wheel, a spring controlled friction clutch intermediate said 'loose toothed wheel and its counter-shaft for enabling said loose toothed wheel to be'p'ut into or out of engagement with its counter-shaft, means for adjusting the transmitting power of said friction. clutch, a through shaft carrying the cultivators, and means for driving said through shaft from said counter-shaft.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLY sEoKi Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. v 

